Cutest Yawn:Three male lion cubs were born at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle on October 24. We love the middle guy’s yawn! Spending 16-20 hours of the day sleeping or resting, lions are the laziest of the big cats. In the wild, they can be found lying on their backs with their feet up or taking a snooze up in a tree.

Photo by Photo by Dr. Darin Collins / Woodland Park Zoo.

Bounciest Baby: A baby klipspringer was born on March 30 at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. The term “klipspringer” is Afrikaans for “rock jumper”, and this little antelope sure does live up to her name!

Rarest Birth:Chimelong Safari Park, a zoo in southern China, announced the birth of giant panda triplets this summer. Panda triplets are incredibly rare, and usually, at least one of the cubs do not survive. Born on July 29, these three panda cubs have all survived and mother Juxiao is tending to each of them.

Photo by Chimelong Safari Park.

Coziest Hug: The Memphis Zoo welcomed a male baby bonobo on April 28 named Mpingo (EM-pingo), which is a type of African tree. The wood from mpingo trees are used to make musical instruments, and so mpingos are sometimes referred to as “trees that make music”. According to Matt Thompson, Director of Animal Programs, “He certainly brings harmony and joy to the group.”

This little Southern tamandua (lesser anteater) pup will ride on his mother’s back for the next several months at Busch Gardens. Photo by Busch Gardens.

Busch Gardens welcomed a Southern tamandua on April 13. Tamanduas are also known as lesser anteaters. The baby tamandua, or pup, will spend the next several months riding on its mother’s back. Both mother and pup are currently under the watch of the Busch Gardens’ animal care team behind the scenes.

What a wonderful year it’s been for adorable baby animals! Here are a few highlights:

Most Eager Eyes: Pictured below is one of two female lion cubs who were born at Busch Gardens on March 20. The cubs have genetic lines from the Kalahari and Kruger regions of South Africa, where lions are recognized for their large size and impressive manes on the males.

Photo by Busch Gardens.

Best Peek-a-Boo: Max, a little Coquerel’s sifaka (pronounced CAH-ker-rells she-FAHK — it’s a species of lemur), was born at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore on March 30. In the wild, Coquerel’s sifaka live solely on the island of Madagascar, which is off the southeastern coast of Africa.

Baby sifaka at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Photo by Jeffrey F. Bill.

The new porcupette at one day old at the Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Ryan Hawk / Woodland Park Zoo.

Best Hugger: This baby bonobo was born on May 12 at the Memphis Zoo. In the wild, bonobos inhabit the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. Currently, the IUCN has categorized bonobos as endangered.

After a few timid steps, King gained confidence in the outdoor exhibit, taking in all the new sights and scents. Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Lincoln Park Zoo.

Cutest Snout: Meet Gabana, a baby giant anteater born at the Nashville Zoo on November 16. In the wild, giant anteaters inhabit the tropical forests of Central and South America. They are considered vulnerable of extinction by the IUCN.

Discovery Cove in Orlando, Florida has welcomed a baby tamandua, or lesser anteater, to their animal family. The baby was born recently and will cling to his mother back until he is able to walk and find his own food. These anteaters are native to Mexico and South America, living in forests. Anteaters like this will eat up to 9000 ants a day! They use their sharp claws and long tongue to catch their tasty treats.

A baby anteater is the newest addition to a Tokyo zoo. The anteater has not been named yet because the staff is unable to determine the gender, though they suspect it’s a boy. Anteaters have no teeth and use their tongues to lick up ants from anthills. Anteaters are also known for their large claws on their front feet; the claws came in handy for this little anteater as he slipped from his perch.